VOMRadio

What might God do if you made the commitment to pray every day for a specific country? What doors might He open? Two decades ago Peter Smith and his wife were challenged to adopt a country and specifically pray every day for God's Spirit to move in that country. The country God led them to was the Islamic Republic of Iran. Listen to hear how Peter and his wife began to pray, how God opened the door for him to visit Iran, and how his family has reached out to Persian people living in the United States. In the 20 years since Peter and his family began to pray, God has opened amazing doors for them to impact Iranian people for Christ. As you listen this week, you'll be challenged to make the same decision Peter and his family made all those years ago: to adopt a country and specifically pray every day for the people in that country. Who knows the doors God will open in your life to minister for Him to the people you're praying for?

UGANDA: We Stand With the Church by The Voice of the Martyrs

Brother Jack and Brother Sean just returned from Northern Nigeria, an area where it’s very dangerous to be a Christian; an area where radical Islamic group Boko Haram is active.

“You can’t be a pastor, you can’t be a believer, without Boko Haram knowing who you are in these areas,” says Jack. Christians in the area have seen their homes and churches targeted, while Muslim homes even right next door aren’t bothered in Boko Haram attacks.

Jack and Sean will also share about persecution by Fulani Muslims in Nigeria, and how that persecution is coordinated with Boko Haram attacks.

In the midst of what is often a war zone, brave Christian pastors are boldly ministering for Jesus Christ and building His church. Often times they must send their families to someplace safer while they continue to minister in the hostile areas. Yet without their bold faithfulness, thousands of Christians would lose their pastors.

Listen to how these pastors’ sermons have been changed by their personal experience with persecution. Be encouraged this week by the stories of how the Body of Christ is standing firm in Nigeria, even amidst tragedy, loss and hunger. You’ll also be equipped, as you listen, to pray specifically for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria.

The first time "Brother Dan" travelled to India was on a mission trip 25 years ago. With one visit to this vast country, he was hooked! Six years ago, Dan moved to India full time, working to share the gospel and strengthen the church. Listen this week as Dan shares how God is at work in India, including performing miracles that show He is more powerful than any of the millions of gods Hindus follow. Dan will also share some of the challenges our Indian brothers and sisters are facing, and what persecution looks like for an Indian who leaves Hinduism to follow Jesus. Finally, he'll equip each of us with ways we can pray for Indian Christians, and for their nation.

When "Brother David" told his Tibetan Buddhist family that he had left Buddhism and was following Jesus Christ, they kicked him out of the family. They wouldn't even let him take his suitcase with him!

But God provided for David, not only to survive but to attend Bible school and become a bold evangelist and church leader. Listen as David shares his story, and how God has allowed him to minister over the years, including sending a Bible to the Dalai Lama.

Hear how he is training evangelists to work all over South Asia and discipling more Christians to spread the gospel message of Jesus' love. He'll also share how you can help lead Buddhists to Jesus, and help you pray effectively for Christians in Tibet and the surrounding nations.

(If you missed Part 1 of our conversation with David, listen to it here.)

"Brother David" was born into a Tibetan Buddhist family. He was even chosen for special training by the Dalai Lama.

Yet even as he learned more about Buddhism, he was filled with darkness and says he was a man who "never had peace." But he saw something different—light—in his roommate, a man he didn't know at that time was a Christian. David asked him why he was different.

Before that conversation, David had never heard the word Christian, and had no idea who Jesus was. Invited to a Christian meeting, David committed to following Jesus Christ and his life was forever changed.

Listen as David shares his amazing testimony of coming to know Christ, how he grew deeper in his Christian walk, and how his community and even his own family responded to his decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Just weeks after coming to faith in Christ, Pastor Pierre read Richard Wurmbrand's book, Tortured for Christ. The book helped him understand, even as a young Christian, that following Christ "is not a cheap path."

Today, Pierre is a pastor and church leader in Lebanon, a nation facing the challenge of caring for two million refugees from neighboring Syria.

Listen as Pastor Pierre shares about his own walk of faith, why he and his wife chose to name their daughter after a martyr, and how Christians in Lebanon are responding to the flood of Muslim refugees in their nation. Pastor Pierre will also talk about witnessing to Muslims, and he'll share how he has found that blessings come out of persecution.

Learn more about Bonnie Witherall, the martyr for whom Pastor Pierre and his wife named their daughter, in FOXE: Voices of the Martyrs, and in this interview with her husband, Gary.

"Aaron" is living and ministering among Muslims in North Africa. As he has lived and worked among his Muslim friends, many of whom are very religious, God has challenged Aaron to be sure that what he is pointing these Muslims toward is Jesus Christ, and not just a culture or a new list of rules different from the rules they are following under Islam.

Those who answer the call to follow Jesus are often ostracized by their families and unable to find work, yet they willingly sacrifice to follow the Savior they've met. Listen to Aaron challenge us as Christians in the United States to point Muslims here to Jesus Christ, and to pray for the advance of God's Kingdom in North Africa.

Aaron's path to serving in overseas ministry began very young. As a child Aaron was inspired by stories of Christians standing boldly for Christ in spite of hardship and persecution. You can share inspiring stories with your children through the Torchlighters DVDs from The Voice of the Martyrs.

The Bible distribution team in Pakistan was robbed at gunpoint. A team member was hit with a rifle butt. Their money was stolen, along with their phones and everything else of value. But later, the bandits were arrested and taken to court, facing years in prison. Bible team members were asked to testify, and what they said in open court shocked the judge, the lawyers and the entire courtroom. Listen to VOM Radio this week to hear that story from Faisal and Carrie, who are part of Grace Bible Church of Pakistan.

Pakistan is 98% Muslim, but Faisal and Carrie say it's "the perfect place" to share the gospel, because the need for the gospel is so great. They are showing the light of Christ in Pakistan through ministry to children in a school and through leadership development training for pastors and church leaders, in addition to Bible distribution work. Learn more about their ministry in Pakistan, and how you can reach out to Muslims in the United States, this week on VOM Radio.

The first part of the story of the Bible team in Pakistan was told in VOM's April, 2017 newsletter. Sign up to receive VOM's free monthly newsletter here. Give online to support Bible distribution in Pakistan and other restricted nations here.

Growing up the home of missionary parents in Ecuador, Gene Jordan has always known the story of five men—Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian—who gave their lives in the jungle to reach an isolated Indian tribe. But for Gene, it wasn’t a far-off story. The five martyrs and their surviving families were close friends of Gene’s parents. One of Gene’s prized possessions is a picture of him, age 2, standing with Saint in front of the famous, yellow Piper Cub airplane later shredded by spears on the riverbank. As a teen, Gene helped Mission Aviation Fellowship pilots wash their airplanes and clean up the hangar, always hoping for an empty seat on the next flight. As an adult, Gene became one of those pilots and was sent back to Ecuador to follow in the footsteps of “Uncle Nate.” Listen as he shares reflections on a life serving in missions, and the difference the gospel makes in the hearts of individuals, and even entire villages, as the people find in Jesus a reason to live.